How to end “wrap rage” on shrink-wrapped and overwrapped products — the easy-open features Sealstrip applies in-line, and how to choose between them.

Shrink film and overwrap protect a product beautifully — and can be miserable to open. Anyone who’s gone after a shrink-wrapped package with keys or scissors knows the feeling the industry calls “wrap rage.” The fix is a built-in easy-open feature applied as the package is wrapped. Fittingly, easy-open shrink packaging is where Sealstrip started — the company’s very first product, back in the late 1960s, solved exactly this — so here’s how today’s options work and how to choose.

The options at a glance

Sealstrip has two easy-open features for shrink film, plus one for non-shrink overwrap. Each applies in-line at your line speed with a retrofit applicator.

Peelwrap: remove most of the film in one pull

Peelwrap is a wide pressure-sensitive tape with a non-adhesive grip edge, applied over a perforation in the film. The consumer grips the dry edge and tears downward, opening the perforation and taking most of the film with it. It works on both shrink and non-shrink film, which makes it the most flexible option. The applicator perforates and applies the tape in one pass, mounts in the film-unwind area, and retrofits to straight and inverting L-sealers and continuous-motion wrappers.

Shrinktape: a simple, low-cost pull-tab

Shrinktape is a narrow tape applied in the film-flow direction; the applicator’s tab-forming assembly makes a small cut so that, after the shrink tunnel, a pull-tab forms. It’s inexpensive, barely touches your graphics, and its high-tack adhesive needs only light pressure to bond. It retrofits to inverting L-sealers and continuous-motion wrappers.

Teartape: for non-shrink overwrap

For overwrapped, non-shrink packages, Teartape provides a hermetic, easy-open tear. It’s typically 2mm wide, available in many colors and widths and in long-length rolls, and is common on candy, CDs, and medical device overwrap. It can also serve as the easy-open above a resealable feature.

Peelwrap vs. Shrinktape: which one?

They’re close cousins — both give a shrink-film easy open, and both apply in-line at line speed. The difference is in the mechanism: Shrinktape’s open comes from a formed pull-tab, while Peelwrap’s comes from a non-adhesive edge lifting away from a perforation and removing more of the film. Peelwrap also runs on non-shrink film, where Shrinktape is for shrink only. 

Line integration and printing

Every feature applies with a Sealstrip retrofit applicator custom-fit to your wrapper’s film-unwind area, and each one can be bypassed when you want to run product without it — disengage the perforating wheel (Peelwrap) or tab former (Shrinktape)- Peelwrap and Shrinktape can all be custom-printed with your logo, instructions, or graphics, so a colorful open doubles as shelf differentiation.

Frequently asked questions

Can you add easy-open to shrink film without new equipment?

Yes. Sealstrip’s easy-open features are applied with retrofit applicators custom-built to fit your existing shrink wrapper or L-sealer — no full equipment replacement required.

What’s the difference between Peelwrap and Shrinktape?

Both give a shrink-film easy open. Shrinktape forms a pull-tab; Peelwrap uses a non-adhesive grip edge over a perforation and removes more of the film. Peelwrap also works on non-shrink film, while Shrinktape is shrink-only.

Will an easy-open feature slow my shrink line?

No. The features apply in-line at your existing line speed so they’re designed to keep pace with your wrapper.

Can the easy-open feature be branded?

Yes. Peelwrap and Shrinktape can be custom-printed with logos, instructions, or graphics — a colorful open also stands out on shelf.

What if I need to run some product without the feature?

Every applicator can be bypassed easily, so the film keeps flowing and the feature simply isn’t applied for that run.

About Sealstrip

Sealstrip Corporation has spent decades engineering easy-open and resealable convenience features for flexible packaging — pairing pressure-sensitive tapes with retrofit applicators built to fit the line you already run. Sealstrip is a WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), a member of the Flexible Packaging Association, and manufactures in the USA in a facility certified under the GFSI-recognized IFS PACsecure standard.

Wrestling with wrap rage on a shrink-wrapped product? Send Sealstrip your product and a stub roll of your film, and they’ll add an easy-open feature to a sample so you can try it. Call 1-888-658-7997.